UWEC CERCA 2026

KiwiBots are food delivery robots which traverse the campus of UW-Eau Claire. Each robot gives off a unique WiFi signal which can be detected by WiFi chips. A network of strategically placed, low-powered embedded computers (ESP32) capture the signals of KiwiBots within WiFi range and transmit the data to a central server for triangulation. Using average speed and overlapping detection ranges, this project aims to track the real time movements of the KiwiBots across the UW-Eau Claire campus. Potential applications of this type of system can be used to track the movement of Bluetooth or WiFi enabled devices used by passersby (Bluetooth headphones and smartphones, for instance) for malicious purposes. By creating a realistic system which can effectively track the real-time movements of personal devices, we aim to advocate for strong legal and technical countermeasures against systems of this kind.